Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Radical Purchase

One of the lectionary readings this week is from Jeremiah. As the Chaldeans are approaching Jerusalem, Jeremiah is approached by his uncle and asked to buy his land.

Thank about that for a moment. Jeremiah knows, because God has told him, that the people of Judah will go into exile, and that he will be forced to leave the country. The worst is coming, in the form an invading army, and someone is asking him to buy land? How crazy is that?

Jeremiah comes to understand that God is leading him to make this purchase, so he does.

How often are we willing to follow God down a road that leads around such strange corners that we doubt the wisdom of our actions? Do we follow God anyway? Or do we stop, and convince ourselves that God wouldn't ask this of us?

How brave was Jeremiah to follow through on his radical, crazy action?